Chapter 204 Migration
"The Xiongnu often come south in autumn and winter. When the autumn harvest is complete in Zhao, it's spring, the season for livestock on the grasslands to give birth and raise lambs. The Xiongnu rarely invade. I will stay by the Queen Mother's side and prevent anyone from harming her."
Zhao Yuanxi echoed, "Yes! And General Meng, don't you still trust the soldiers of our Qin?"
Seeing that the Queen Mother was determined to go, Meng Tian had no choice but to give in and said, "Then I will go with you."
The county magistrate of Handan City has arrived, and all affairs of Handan will be handled by this county magistrate from now on. Zhao Yuanxi has met this new county magistrate and has negotiated with him many times. He is a calm and reliable person, and he has also discussed the issue of relocating people with him.
There is no need to worry about political affairs, as leaving her will not have any impact anyway. However, the garrison is still in the hands of Meng Tian, so how can he leave easily?
Zhao Yuanxi asked, "What about the defenders of Handan City?"
"The garrison will be handed over to the county lieutenant. Previously, I was only in charge of Handan County's military affairs."
The three of them hit it off and set a time for relocating the people to Yunzhong County.
After the order was issued, the originally lifeless Handan County suddenly became lively.
"What's written on it?"
Everyone gathered around, and someone read out a fragmented message, "Yunzhong is a thousand miles of fertile land...but the population is sparse, and the farmland in Handan is limited. To ensure your settlement...we will share the benefits of the land...and relocate the people to Yunzhong."
"Anyone who moved from Handan to Yunzhong was exempt from taxes for three years. Adults were granted 20 mu of new land, while minors were granted 12 mu. There were porridge stalls along the way, and soldiers and officials escorted them..."
"We will depart in five days. Migrants must obey the guidance of the government... Once you arrive in your new county, you must diligently cultivate the land and establish your family..."
Everyone listened to the general idea and asked, "Isn't Yunzhong County in the far north? Where is there land for farming?"
"I served as a garrison in Yunzhong County for a period of time. It is indeed a good place. The horses there are all fat and strong, and the mutton tastes much better than the one here!" As he said this, the man swallowed hard, as if he was savoring the taste.
There were many former garrison troops in Handan County who had been stationed in Yunzhong and Yanmen, and many of them came forward to confirm what was stated in the notice.
Many refugees who had no land or houses were tempted. There was no way to make a living in Handan. Although they could work as tenants for others and maybe survive, who doesn't want to own their own land? Even if they have to pay more land taxes, it is much better than being a tenant. Moreover, the notice said that they could be exempted from taxes for three years. During these three years, everything they planted would belong to them. It was simply a blessing from heaven.
"But the Huns are right next to Yunzhong County, and those Huns are not easy to deal with." Some people couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"If we stay here, we'll starve to death. If the Huns really come one day, we'll fight them with swords!"
"The Qin army is guarding the pass now. They look even more ferocious than the Xiongnu. We can't let them bully us!"
The crowd murmured and began to wonder whether they should go and how to go if they did.
Liao Sheng originally fled from Lin County. The Qin army invaded on a large scale and the defenders of Lin County could not hold on at all. In less than two days, Lin County was captured.
Liao Sheng fled with his parents, wife and children, but he never expected that Handan City could not hold out either. Handan fell as soon as he arrived.
He could only continue to wander with his family, begging along the way and barely surviving. As a result, he encountered another earthquake and his family was almost crushed to death. Fortunately, the place where he lived was an abandoned thatched house. Although the earthquake collapsed, the beams did not fall on them and they only suffered minor injuries.
Once this disaster struck, it was even more difficult to get food.
All the rat holes in the fields were dug out clean, even the edible grass roots and tree bark were not spared. Everyone thought they would starve to death here, but unexpectedly the government started to distribute food.
Not only the local people could receive it, but also those refugees. After being hungry for several months, they finally had a full meal. Liao Sheng burst into tears.
No matter what, as long as his whole family can have food to eat, it doesn't matter if he gambles with his life.
He was one of the first refugees to sign up to go to Yunzhong County.
His name was written on the roster, and he received the small bamboo slip that symbolized his status. Liao Sheng couldn't help but feel a little dazed. "Will I really be able to get land there?"
Mao Chang paused, looking up at the young man before him. He had already answered similar questions countless times that day. He waved his hand to signal the next person, but seeing that he was half-conscious, he reluctantly reminded him, "Don't worry. This is the order of the Queen Mother of Qin. It's certainly not false. You'll also receive a batch of high-quality seeds. Just go and farm."
"Thank you!"
Mao Chang lowered his head nonchalantly and continued to register. "Name? Where do you live? How old? What do you do? How tall are you? How many people are in your family? How many adults, how many children?"
"My name is Shi. I'm originally from Baipo Village in Lin County... There are eight of us in my family: five adults and three children."
Mao Chang wrote them down one by one and handed them to him, saying, "This is your talisman, keep it."
Liao Sheng put the talisman with his information in his hand into his arms, and his heart calmed down.
On the day of departure, Liao Sheng and his family followed the group, all carrying large and small bags. The group was so crowded that it stretched as far as the eye could see. Many Qin soldiers followed on both sides. Frightened, Liao Sheng held his child tighter in his arms and said to his wife, "Follow closely."
After finally arriving at the resting place, Liao Sheng took out the bean cakes he had prepared from his bag and broke them off bit by bit for his young son in his arms to eat. He saw the person next to him holding a bamboo tube, which was filled with corn porridge.
"Hey! Brother, where's the corn porridge?"
The man glanced at Liao Sheng, gulped down the porridge in the bamboo tube, and then looked at the child in his arms. He pouted and pointed in a direction, "Do you see that black bird flag in the front? You can get it by bringing the talisman given to us by the Qin people. One person can lead one family. Just send one person over."
"Thank you, thank you!" Liao Sheng handed the child to his wife, carried a few bamboo tubes and ran towards the flag.
There were a lot of people queuing up. Although they had been separated in advance, there were still at least tens of thousands of people in the group. Liao Sheng still had to wait in line for a long time. Fortunately, when it was his turn, there was still a lot of porridge in the porridge bucket.
He handed the talisman to the person who was checking it. The person poked a hole in it and gave it back to him. Then he received his porridge, which was hot and exuded an enticing aroma.
Liao Sheng licked his dry lips, walked back quickly, and brought the hot porridge to his parents. He also gave a bamboo tube to his wife, "Eat quickly, it's still hot!"
"My dear, use some too."
"I have bean cakes, you guys can have some!"
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